referrals

[RitaB]

John's on top of this

John's got this covered, don't worry.

Where is that "tongue-in-cheek" font when you need it?

Oh, wait, there it is - right beside my "sarcasm" font. Haha! (Insert "light-hearted jocularity" font now.)

[Black Bart]

Taking out the trash

We haven't discussed the other side of this situation.
I have a couple of clients I'll PAY somebody to take away from me.
How can I best accomplish that?

While I'm still poutin' about that smart aleck flashin' sign message you sent me ; in the interest of board harmony I'm reluctantly helpin' you out (but don't ask for any more favors anytime soon).

Roberts is right: Just jack the fee up so outrageously high that, if they stay, you'll feel really good about getting that much cash and gouging them mercilessly at the same time. But, they will probably go -- pricing 'em out of the office is the easiest way (it worked for me -- got rid of a PIA you wouldn't believe...)

...tell them that the complexity of their tax situation has gone beyond your technical expertise and they would be better served by someone else who is more knowledgable and astute.

Say jim -- if I did that here I'd get one of two responses: "Say what?" or "You cussin' me?"

[GRich0656]

We haven't discussed the other side of this situation.
I have a couple of clients I'll PAY somebody to take away from me.
How can I best accomplish that?

Maybe you could have a drawing where the top 5 clients giving you referrals win from $500 down to $25 and have two of the clients you want to get rid of win 1st or 2nd place, since that seems to prevent them from returning.

[ChEAr$]

Speaking of having a drawing, just be aware that some states, e.g. Alabama, prohibit such
drawings whose entrants are limited only to customers. IOW, one must open the drawing to the general public.

[JohnH]

I'm not sure I'm finished with the flashing sign yet. I'll let you know if I get around to any more revisions.

As for firing the client, I'm also a little nervous about jimmcg's suggestion to "...tell them that the complexity of their tax situation has gone beyond your technical expertise and they would be better served by someone else who is more knowledgeable and astute."

I'm afraid the client will tell me I'm not giving him much guidance, since that covers just about everybody else in town who does tax work.

[Ross]

I have a day job as a controller and prepare returns out of my home. I do 130-140 returns each year. This year I had alot of down time in March. I lost a few clients and gained as many or more, but feel that I can handle 10-20 new clients next tax season. My fees are very reasonable....probably too low. I keep my CPA license current. I built the business by advertising the first few years (1994-1995) and the rest was co-workers, word of mouth, referrals, etc.

I intend to put out a letter this fall looking for referrals. I'm only going to send it to 25-30 of my best clients. I'm simply going to say that I'm taking on up to 20 new clients and ask them to pass on the info to their family, friends and neighbors. I'm going to ask that the new clients meet with me in November, December and early January. This will enable me to set them up on my software, possibly offer tax advice, etc. I have never asked for referrals from my clients, but have received them. I'm not sure how it will go. Possibly a $10 Wal-Mart gift card will be a good incentive.